We Hold It in the Most When We're Wearing Thin
by theletterdee
Summary: for anon on tumblr who wanted to see Matthew angry at Alice because "she went to a scene unattended and could got hurt" but with a happy ending! title is from Fleurie's "Hurricane"! enjoy!


"Dr. Harvey," Matthew ground out between clenched teeth, "a word."

"I'm busy, Chief Superintendent," she retorted, her eyes just as steely as his own surely were - tension crackling in the air between them over his desk.

"Not for the next five minutes you aren't."

He rounded the desk and pulled her to the nearby empty interrogation room - ignoring her rising protests as he shut and locked the door behind them. A twitch of the blinds cut them off from the craning necks of his men out in the bullpen.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" He rounded on her. "You do not, I repeat, _do not_ , go into an uncleared crime scene before my men can do their jobs and make sure it's secure!"

"I was _doing my job_ , which is what _you_ asked me to do!"

"Not at the expense of your safety! I've told you this before!"

She glared at him, "You never did this with Lucien, why do it to me?"

"Because Lucien could take care of himself, I didn't have to worry like I do with you, Dr. Harvey!"

Matthew knew those words were the wrong ones to use the instant they fell from his mouth, but he couldn't stop them if he tried. Alice was driving him mad with worry, galavanting off to unsecured scenes much like Lucien had before and his heart constricted at the thought of finding her injured or dead at the hands of some perp before he or is men got there.

Alice looked like he'd slapped her in the face and she opened her mouth to probably unleash a tirade against him about how he treated her differently to Lucien - how dare he handle her differently because she was a woman in a man's world - but Matthew deflated against the table with a sigh.

"I can't… I can't lose you, Alice," he ran a hand through his hair. "Lucien was bad enough, but he was Jean's trouble to deal with most of the time. Yes, he'd go off on his own escapades and get into trouble, but the thought of him lying on a hospital bed or in a ditch somewhere doesn't make me as sick to my stomach as it does when it's you in trouble instead of him."

Alice closed her mouth and edged closer to him as Matthew ran a hand over his face - trying to will the image of Alice bleeding out in some dark wooded area of Ballarat out of his mind.

"I know you can take care of yourself, sweetheart." He heard her suck in a breath at the term of endearment, that he was crossing this line at _work_ of all places, but he _had_ to let her know how he felt. "I know that and I'd never assume you can't, but… I worry because I care for you in a different way than I did with Lucien. I don't want you getting hurt."

Fabric shifted and he felt her hand gently cup his chin and tilt it upwards. Alice stood close - closer than "just colleagues" should stand - between his legs and her thumb rubbed small circles on his jaw. The ire in her eyes melted to a soft, fond look and she quirked a small, crooked smile.

"This isn't how I imagined I'd hear how you felt."

Matthew laughed lightly - trust Alice to latch onto that tidbit instead of everything else. "I was waiting for you to come around to the idea of us, sweetheart."

"I've come around to it, I just don't want others talking."

He reached up and curled his hand around hers - pressing a kiss to her palm. "I'm okay with waiting. And I meant what I said about not wanting to lose you."

Her other hand came up to cup his cheek and she leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. "I can't promise I won't get into hairy situations or that I won't get injured, but I can promise to try to be more careful, Matthew."

"And to wait for scenes to be secure?"

She smiled against his forehead, "Yes, I'll let your men do their job."

A weight lifted from his shoulders and he slumped against her with a sigh. "Thank you, Alice."

Alice wrapped her arms around his back - his snaking around her waist as the two of them stole this peaceful moment before the real world rushed back in. He felt her press a kiss to his head and he tightened his arms around her.

They still had things to figure out - dances to learn, boundaries to establish both personally and professionally, but they'd turn out alright in the end. Alice would still follow the evidence like her predecessor and Matthew would still worry, but at least they had each other.


End file.
